Review on Derwent 12 Sketching Collection Materials by Jessica Lewis

I have an old one I bought for a dollar at a flea market a few years ago and like the old one this new one comes very close to the perfect lightweight painting companion. The materials (pencils of various types, charcoal and graphite pencils in three grits each) are manufactured by Derwent and are therefore of excellent quality. All contents are placed in a rigid plastic tray with compartments for each item; One modification I make to improve the set is to remove the three graphite pencils from their sockets and replace them with a black, white, and blood red Conte pencil. I also remove the charcoal and fill its place with some blending sticks (tortillons or something) and a small eraser, and I also remove one of the three charcoals and replace it with a white charcoal, although this one isn't exactly the case. necessary because the kit already contains a white pastel pencil, which is also suitable. A sheet or two of facial tissue to clean my fingers after painting and a large elastic to attach to my sketchbook and I'm good to go! The only real improvement Derwent could make was the addition of a hinged tin lid: stepping on the lid of an old set was an incentive to buy a new set. It doesn't fit that well anymore. :) Great buy for the price. Even without conversion, a well-equipped painting kit at a reasonable price. mike